Stoinis crowned BBL Player of the Tournament

Melbourne Stars allrounder Marcus Stoinis has been crowned the KFC BBL Player of the Tournament following a record-breaking season with the bat.

Stoinis edged out Sydney Sixers gun overseas import Tom Curran for the honour, polling 26 votes to Curran's 24 from the match umpires after each match of the 56-game home and away season. Sydney Thunder opener Alex Hales finished in third place with 23 votes. 

The 30-year-old finished the regular season as BBL|09's leading runs-scorer (a position he still holds) with 607 runs, five half-centuries and an unforgettable 147no against the Sixers, the highest individual total in the history of the competition.

"I'm honoured to have been voted as the 2019-20 KFC Big Bash League Player of the Tournament," Stoinis said.

"I love playing for the Melbourne Stars. This team is special to me and I love having the opportunity to run out onto the field with them.

"We've got a big match against the Sydney Thunder on Thursday night and I hope to see our Team Green fans at the MCG to help get us over the line."

His efforts played a pivotal role in the Stars finishing the regular season in first place with 10 wins from 14 matches, earning the club a second chance in the new-look finals system.

Opening the batting for the Stars, Stoinis posted 81no from 54 balls against Hobart Hurricanes in Moe to kick start his season.

His 58 against the Thunder on January 2 in Sydney steered his side to victory, despite an epic of collapse of 6-19 that almost delivered an unthinkable defeat.

That knock at Sydney Showgrounds Stadium was the start of a hat-trick of half-centuries, with scores of 68no and 50 following in less than a week later.

A three-ball duck against crosstown rivals Melbourne Renegades was the calm before the storm at the MCG, where he crashed 13 fours and eight sixes in his undefeated 147 from 79 balls.

His last fifty of the season (to date) was posted at the SCG, a 37-ball 62 which looked set to be backbone of another victory before veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon captured his wicket and derailed the Stars' pursuit.  

Stoinis is the second Stars player to be named POTT after allrounder and current coach David Hussey won the award in BBL|01.

Hurricanes opener D'Arcy Short is a two-time BBL POTT, claiming the honour in back-to-back seasons in BBL|07 and BBL|08, and holds the record for the most runs scored in a single campaign.

But Stoinis is just 25 runs behind Short's record tally and he will have an opportunity of setting a new record when the Stars take on the Thunder in The Challenger on Thursday at the MCG, where the winner will advance to take on the Sixers in The Final on Saturday.

Leaderboard:

Marcus Stoinis 26 votes

Tom Curran 24

Alex Hales 23

Jon Wells 22

Glenn Maxwell 21

D’Arcy Short 21

Rashid Khan 18

Chris Lynn 17

Josh Philippe 17

Callum Ferguson 16